“I’m so jealous,” Raquel huffed through the phone. “Your mom should have totally let you take a friend. I have the hottest red bikini. Would have looked amazing in pics of me on the white sand.”

“Totally.” Cami rolled her eyes as she agreed. Raquel managed to turn every situation around to be about her. Even hypothetical ones. “I’ve had quite a few guys check me out today and I’m just now heading out to the water.” She continued her charade as she kicked her flip-flops off and dipped her toe in the water. Not the salty ocean water her friend thought she was in front of, but the pool that was located only a couple blocks from Raquel’s house.

“So things with Hayden are officially off?”

“For now.” Cami shrugged as if her friend could see her. Thank God she couldn’t. “I mean, I’m sure when the summer’s over we’ll be back together. But for right now, we’re just doing our own thing.”

“I didn’t actually think you’d go through with it. Hayden Prescott is kind of a big deal.”

“Well, so am I,” Cami replied with the false confidence she feigned for her friends.

“Oh, I know,” Raquel backtracked. “I just thought you might’ve changed your mind. You could’ve had a summer fling without telling him, you know. Aren’t you worried someone is going to snake him out from under you?”

“Like who?” Cami fought back a laugh. She knew exactly who Raquel was talking about—herself. Raquel had been not so silently waiting in the wings, hoping that Cami and Hayden would part ways so that she could try and sink her hooks into him. And if Cami had told her “friend” about any of the flings she’d had behind Hayden’s back, she knew exactly who would be the first one to run give him all the juicy details.

It was no secret that Raquel wanted Hayden. She’d even gone as far as to send him a couple suggestive texts. And one night when she’d gotten way too drunk at a party, she’d whispered in his ear all the things she’d do to him if she were his girlfriend. Because she was classy like that.

Of course, Hayden told Cami all about it. She might have been okay with Hayden fooling around with other girls she didn’t know, but Raquel was out of the question and Hayden knew it.

“I don’t know,” Raquel said evenly, playing it as cool as she could. “Anyone.”

“I’m not worried one bit,” Cami answered. “Besides that, he’s out in some little Podunk town for the summer with his grandparents. Doubt anyone there is worth a second look.”

“You’re probably right,” Raquel conceded. “If he was back home that might be a different story.”

“Might be,” Cami replied. Raquel could think whatever she wanted. “I’m not going to worry about Hayden this summer. This summer is about me and the hot guy walking across the beach right now. I’ve got to go, Raquel. Talk later!” With that, Cami hung up the phone, letting Raquel think she had more important things to worry about. Which she did. Tan lines.

She walked over to the small pool house, where the fresh towels were kept, and pulled her bikini top from around her neck. She had never been modest—she wasn’t raised to be—but she knew that Sophie was out running errands and the solitude of her private backyard retreat allowed her to walk out into the sunlight without worrying that anyone would see.

With her shoulders back and her face turned up toward the warmth of the summer sun, her mind conjured images of the beach she was supposed to be on. Daydreaming, she made her way, towel in hand, toward the lounge chair that was calling her name.

When her nearly naked body collided into something solid, she was pulled back to reality. He stood nearly a foot taller than her and the look of surprise in his sky blue eyes matched that of Cami’s.

“Who are you?” she demanded, propping her free hand up on her hip. The fact that she was topless barely even crossed her mind. She was more concerned with the stranger standing in front of her wielding a pair of hedge clippers.

Her eyes wandered from his hands up his strong forearms to the rippled muscles of his stomach peeking out from under the T-shirt he’d cut the sleeves off of.

“What are you doing back here? How’d you get in?” She threw the questions at him while snapping her fingers in front of his face in an attempt to pull his eyes from her body.

Once he finally closed his mouth, he shook his head, wiping off the awestruck look she was used to seeing on boys’ faces when she talked to them. She glared at him while he cleared his throat.

Cami was the first to admit that she loved the attention members of the opposite sex gave her. In some way, it made up for the lack of it she received at home. She didn’t mind the fact that he was staring at her, so it nearly blew her mind when he pulled the earbuds blasting music from his ears, placed the clippers on the ground, and turned his head.

“Easy, girl,” he said, holding his hand up to block her in his peripheral. “I’m supposed to be here. Don’t be such a drama queen.”

“Is that a fact?” she demanded, somewhat insulted that he was actually avoiding looking at her. She knew she looked good, despite the comment her mother had made about her weight earlier. And who the hell was he? Telling her calm down. He obviously didn’t know who she was. People didn’t talk to her like that.

“Yes. It is a fact,” he told her as he reached out to grab the towel from her hand. His eyes found hers as he took a step toward her and her breathing stopped. She looked up into his gleaming eyes. A small voice in her mind cautioned her to be careful.

She had no idea who he was or what he wanted from her, but some instinct she didn’t know she had told her that she was safe. She could feel the warmth radiating off his body against her skin as he wrapped the towel around her back. He pulled it closed, covering her chest. She contemplated reaching out and touching him, but his nearness had her frozen in place.

“I’m Kyle Mason.” He stepped back after she took the towel with her own hands. “With Mason Landscaping. We’re scheduled to do lawn maintenance here on Sundays. I have a passcode for the gate.” He moved his hand up and took the bill of the ball cap he was wearing in his hand. As he moved it back enough to scratch the top of his head, Cami could see his blond hair shimmer in the sunlight. “I can come back another day if you want.”

”Don’t worry about it,” she snapped, shaking off his suggestion, not wanting to admit that it was nice to see someone other than Sophie for a change. Didn’t hurt matters that he was hot. “I’m just going to grab my top and then you can get to work.”

She made her way over to the pool house and grabbed the pink bikini top she had left on the floor. A thought dawned on her as she made her way back into the sunlight and stood where Kyle could see her.

Perhaps my summer fling is still a possibility.

She already knew by the way his jaw dropped when he laid eyes on her that he found her attractive. And he had muscles in every place she was interested in. Sure, he was the hired help, but if she wasn’t leaving the house this summer, she didn’t have many other options.

He would suffice in a pinch, and she was already feeling a little lonely. She dropped her towel, giving him one more look before she propositioned him. Much like before, as the towel left her body, he turned to face the other direction.

She felt a frown cross her face and her mother’s words rang in her ears. “Frowning gives you more wrinkles than no expression at all.” She removed it from her lips and secured her top.

“You can look now,” she called out. “I’m covered.” His reaction confused her. Most guys would jump at the chance to see what she had under her top, but this guy either was gay or had something wrong with him.

He turned back around slowly. Cautiously. Cami was determined to figure out what his deal was. Wasn’t like she had anything else to do. She’d ditched her boyfriend, and her pride refused to let her tell her friends she was stuck at home for the summer.

She walked toward Kyle, exaggerating the sultry swing of her hips. “Why’d you look away?” She playfully twisted a lock of her chocolate-colored hair. “Didn’t like what you saw?”

“No,” he snickered, biting back a smile. “I mean, yeah,” he backtracked when he saw the surprised look on her face. “I did, but the thing is, I’m sure your boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate you flashing yourself to some stranger.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” she informed him.

“Well, in that case.” He stepped toward her with a new air of confidence. Now that he knew she was available, the trepidation in his eyes had vanished. “Not that I mind looking at you, but I prefer having to actually win the prize. If it’s just handed to me, it kinda takes the fun out of it.”

The devilish little grin he gave her told Cami two things. One, he was even better looking than she’d originally thought. And two, he was different from any guy she had ever talked to.

Not only was he an actual gentleman, he was willing to put some effort into getting to know her. It was a first for her. Her relationship with Hayden had always been a given. There wasn’t any actual wooing or first date. They were just together. The other guys, the ones she casually hooked up with, wanted one thing and one thing only, just like she did. But this guy, this Kyle Mason, was different. And Cami liked it.

“Good to know.” She felt her cheeks heating as he stared at her. For once, she felt like someone was staring at her for all the right reasons. She extended her hand to him and felt a tingle of warmth shoot up her arm as he raised his to meet hers. “I’m Cameron.”